Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Author
Topic: butt confessions, part 2 (Read 19199 times)

as much as i hate to talk about it i have to today. i am co-infected with hpv. i found out a week or two ago that the abnormal external growths were not cancerous.

the dr was pretty much done at this time. like some of us have had to learn if we feel something isn't right we must press forward. i requested a colonoscopy. that was sheer hell. i got the partial one today and they did not use any sedatives. mind you, my gastro dr referred me to a derm. i then went back to the gastro dr and insisted on an exam. i am a gay man afterall.

so after all is said and done he finds something. he tells me he cannot remove them and i will have to be referred to yet another dr, a colorectal surgeon. yikes!!! needless to say im scared shitless and don't know what to do or what to expect.

i don't know how invasive the procedure will be, what the downtime will be or how effective it will be. i dont know how serious my case is or if i have alternatives. all i know is i have read the stories of others on here and i am scared. and i dont have anyone i will talk to about this either. that fucking sucks too but i understand it is a choice.

like watching all those people at the gasto unit with their loved ones and me being there by myself again. whatever. ill throw myself a vodka laden pity party later.

for now i have to ask for your help. where can i find more information about the procedure? i stopped a while ago after reading about cutting open a person's abdomen and nearly started bawling.

I've never heard of a "partial" colonoscopy before.... Perhaps he performed an anoscopy, which examines your internal anus, not your colon? I don't quite understand your situation, so perhaps you can clarify. Is the "something" and the "them" you refer to in your colon or in your anus? Didn't the doctor give"them" a more specific name? If not, can you ask him to be more specific about what he found? There is a difference betwen removing polyps from the colon and removing internal warts and/or dysplasia from the anal canal. Don't work yourself into a frenzy until a more definitive diagnosis, or a more defining tentative diagnosis, is made available.

« Last Edit: September 01, 2011, 06:05:17 AM by edfu »

Logged

"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

I had a sigmoidoscopy. It revealed internal hpv warts/growths. I had the external ones removed about a month ago and biopsied by a dermatologist. The polyps are in the lower part of my rectum and we believe they are non cancerous based on the lab results from last month.

The gastroenterologist who examined me yesterday was not able to remove them and he will refer me to a colorectal surgeon to have the polyps removed.

its my hmo. not really gay oriented. i was my gp's first hiv case. he sent me to the gastro dr without examining me. the gastro dr referred me to the derm without examining me. the derm removed what he saw and thought it was good. i pressed forward and got the other dr involved. the derm and gastro decided i needed to see a colorectal specialist.

this is why i need a dr with more gay/poz patients. only prob is my id dr is booked for about 2 1/2 months in advance.

this fucked little dance has been going on for months. the appt to see the derm was 2 and 1/2 months down the road to begin with.

Yea...I have my consultation today with the colorectal surgeon. Strange thing to be happy about. I just want this to be over and to move on with the other things that have been vexing me. What questions should I ask him/her when we meet? I've come up with a few...do you think they are appropriate?

How invasive will the surgery be? What are my removal options? Will recovery be painful? What is the typical recovery time. What are the chances of the little fuckers coming back after this procedure?

Also, I had to call the gastroenterologist and pester them to get this appt setup. I need to really look into getting a advocate from my aso, this is ridiculous.

I saw the title and was ready to report you for violation of the new way of working around here! But then I saw the detail....damn details. Not sure about your specific butt surgery but mine was a bitch. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I took, I think, two weeks off from work and the first few days were very painful....as in the most pain I have every felt in my life (but then this is coming from someone who hasn't had much happen to him, no broken bones or such). Pain maintenance was good but then had became too reliant on them and took too many, leading to a hospital trip. Not sure if this helps (likely not) but there you go, mister.

I saw the title and was ready to report you for violation of the new way of working around here! But then I saw the detail....damn details. Not sure about your specific butt surgery but mine was a bitch. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I took, I think, two weeks off from work and the first few days were very painful....as in the most pain I have every felt in my life (but then this is coming from someone who hasn't had much happen to him, no broken bones or such). Pain maintenance was good but then had became too reliant on them and took too many, leading to a hospital trip. Not sure if this helps (likely not) but there you go, mister.

If men had babies, the human race would have died out years ago. Talk about pain!

D, just get what needs to be done, done. You'll get through it ok. A bit of transient pain is better than anal cancer.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

just met my surgeon. omg...what a gem & gentleman. he had me so calm and jumped right into our consultation. he started talking about all his hiv poz patients and how he's done the procedure more than a hundred times this year and how gay men's health needs more everything.

and his office boy was hot...little blond with a faux hawk . it was kinda awkward at first but i knew why i was there.

he answered ALL my questions and recommended a yearly pap, that i get Gardasil (i started loving him right there) and then he had me disrobe.

he put a finger up my love canal and then got the scope out. he told me to hold my breath, placed the anoscopy device against me and then stopped. he reassessed the situation and decided he needed a smaller device! (im not the hoe you girls think i am...). i wish the dr that had given me my last exam would have done so, that shit burned something mighty fierce.

so he found what he was looking for. ill be in surgery in the near future.

and yes cliff, he told me it would hurt something pretty fierce and that i'd be in a great amount of pain. im not looking forward to it but i am looking forward to it being over with.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

As I had the opportunity/horror to witness at the gym today, kegel excersizes are as important as deadlift squats. What has been seen/shat, cannot be unseen/shat.

Logged

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

I love that your doctor is well versed in gay men's health and treating those who are HIV+ it sounds like he is a great doctor.

I also like that he recommended Guardasil. Sounds like you are in good hands. I have an appointment to get a high Rez anoscopy in a bit and hope my appointment goes as smoothly as yours did. Let us know how it all plays out.

I'm confused why a doctor is giving someone that already has HPV Gardasil. Did I miss the memo?

I'm confused by that as well, Miss P. Next is too old for the vaccination to do any good. HPV is so ubiquitous in the gay community that infection occurs almost immediately upon the beginning of sexual activity. Gardasil in this case would be off-label as well; no insurance company will pay for it for the reason already stated. The cut-off age is 26 (and should probably be much, much lower). If it isn't administered pre-puberty, it's useless.

I'm confused why a doctor is giving someone that already has HPV Gardasil. Did I miss the memo?

because it protects against strains of hpv i may not have. my biopsies have revealed that the growths are non cancerous. the dr assumes ill be having more buttsex and that having the vaccination can't do too much harm.

edfu:

also, 26 is a threshold. thresholds and guidelines change over time and my doc recommends it. ive had sex but i havent had a great deal of unprotected anal sex. if getting this vaccination prevents more warts or cancer then im all for it. dr also said a lot of what goes on down below is still unknown and understudied, especially when it comes to gay men's butts, hiv and hpv. the gardasil website also says there is potential for sexually active people who haven't been exposed to all the strains it covers.

Regarding the guardasil usage. One of the main HIV practices here in Seattle advocates that ALL HIV+ individuals get vaccinated with guardasil. They have blogged about it frequently on their website at www.capitolhillmedical.com

Have someone around that can help you if needed. Warm/hot baths will be your very best friend (more on that later).

Don't be shocked if there is lots of blood during bowel movements in the few days after your procedure.

Get the pain med script filled and don't hesitate to take them, as they will help you rest and heal! However don't overdo it as it tends to make you constipated which makes BMs even worse! I think the dosage was every 4 to 6 hours, which I think I started being too aggressive about (like every 3 and half to 4 hours) to help with the pain, but that made me constipated, nausea, dizzy and nervous (not good at all). So be careful.

I found the pain was manageable, especially with the vicodin. However what was extremely painful were bowel movements, even several days after the procedure. I tried (very hard) to avoid going to the toilet it was that bad! However, I found that I could get through it by screaming/grunting and once done jumping straight into a warm/hot bath (so start running your bath before you begin the BM)!

Know that the pain will soon subside and you'll be back to your oldself again (hoe or not). Good luck next, you'll be fine.

*Get over-the-counter Dulcolax stool-softener gel pills.*Use over-the-counter Ciitrucel, a powder mixed with water, for a drink that provides fiber and promotes regularity. The last thing you want is to become constipated and have to pass a hard stool. Most pain medications your doctor will hopefully prescribe can cause constipation, so you have to counteract that side effect. Begin both of these before the procedure, since the first bowel movement after the procedure will be the worst. The fear of having a post-procedure bowel movement will also contribute to the possibility of constipation.*Soak in a bathtub with hot water several times a day for pain. It can be more effective than any pain medication. *Get some Depends. There may be some bleeding, and the Dulcolax may cause some leakage. It's difficult to adjust the Dulcolax for optimum effect without "accidents."

Logged

"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

thanks cliff. what about those sitz baths, is that what they are called?

I didn't use/have a sitz bath...just a regular old bathtub filled with very warm water, so warm that it was near uncomfortable yet not hot enough to burn. And Ed is right, Dulcolax will be your other best friend.

OK, I was afraid of being too graphic but now I see it's ok to post these things...lol

Be prepared for lots of "accidents" Spread several layers of old towells over the area you plan to spend at least a week.

I was almost crying with my first hard BM. I then discovered it hurt less to take the sitz pan and fill half way with hot hot water and do my business in it. Sounds gross, but you'll see.

Stick with soups and broths for a couple of days. For BM purposes.

Never thought I'd admit this, but femine pads are good when you finally start feeling the motivation to walk. I found out the wrong way. Thought I was ok to walk the dog until I got 50 yards from the house and...well you guessed.

Have your laptop close enough to your bed so you can bitch and vent to anybody who hasn't temporarily blocked you.

I was given a prescription for pain pills that I almost didn't have filled. I've never needed them for any of the massive procedures I've had done. This time, they were my freaking best friend. The one time I was glad that wine intensified their affect. BTW, any alcohol is bad, bad, bad. Yeah, learned that one the hard way too after I was mostly healed.

Hopefully, you have somebody to be an assistant. I would logon to FB to tell my mom down the hall what I needed.

Awww man Dee, that sucks. My mama, bless her soul, use to say if you piss on a wart it will go away. I told Lori Bednarski this in the 5th grade and got 3 days indoor suspension for it for some reason. It also works on grass stains.

even though i am officially scared shitless i am sure i will survive. i wish someone from the forum lived closer. wait, i know of a friend or two from here i can confide in. i still haven't told any of my people about this. funny, they know about the hiv but not about the hpv...

so, ill be doing this alone as well. hmm, its about time to open that closet and get a friend. i have a nephew that could help but i don't want him to see me as anything less than how he currently sees me. uggh, that old specter of weakness and disease rears its ugly head.

It should be pointed out that not everyone will have the same post-procedure problems, as is the norm for most medical issues. Much depends also on what exactly is done and how.

For instance, my last time I had four dysplasia lesions removed via electrocautery. I didn't have horrific pain afterward, and I took my hydrocodone for only one day. I didn't want to exacerbate the constipation problem, and my bathtub soaks were sufficient for pain relief. I also didn't need any assistance. The Depends worked for bleeding and leakage, and I didn't have to worry about staining anything. The Dulcolax and Citrucel worked so that my first bowel movement was only mildly traumatic, although there was a lot of blood.

The main problem I had was prostate-related, although my doctor (he was a jerk, I must admit) denied that it was related to his surgery. I felt the urge to pee every ten minutes for several days afterward. However, when I went to the toilet, I was lucky if two drops appeared. I tried to ignore the urge after a while, but it was so strong that I had no choice but to go and pee two drops (and I would so sitting down ).

Logged

"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

The OP asked what to expect. It's no different than when someone starts drug therapy. Not everyone will have every issue but it's best to be prepared. If you prepare for the worse case scenario, then anything less than that is a benefit.

I've had this procedure done twice and I was lax in my preparations because the first one wasn't much of an issue. Every situation and person is different. It's always best to be preapred.

After dr lee removed his finger from my butt (I must admit that man had good technique, I think he is gay) he said surgery would be painful and he advised that I take two to three weeks off from work. He also mentioned I had them in two places and then casually mentioned I had hemrhoids.

He also mentioned I had them in two places and then casually mentioned I had hemrhoids.

i had the surgery, used no pain pills (though I did soak in the tub quite a bit) and had a few days with guaze in my underwear until the outside areas healed up some. by week 3, everything was healed up and all nice and shiny new. LOL at the check up, my doc mentioned the Hemorrhoids too but said he couldn't have done anything then because I was drugged up and hadn't given permission for that surgery.

Logged

leatherman (aka mIkIE)

All the stars are flashing high above the seaand the party is on fire around you and meWe're gonna burn this disco down before the morning comes- Pet Shop Boys chart from 1992-2015Isentress/Prezcobix

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

@ miss p - he is torturing me. i had that sigmoidoscopy without anesthesia.

wish me luck. i turn in my letter to my employer tomorrow. tomorrow will also be my last day of work for up to two weeks. my appt is scheduled for thursday morning. i have arranged my ride, signed all the paperwork and my apt is almost clean.

all i need are the baby wipes and to be brave. i wish the dr would have let me fill out the pain script before seeing him for the procedure. that way the pain pills would be here for me when i got home :/. well, i could ask him to write it tomorrow!

Sorry, this post has gone on so long I'm not confident that what other doctors are doing to their patients is what is being done by my doctor -- for example in therms of HRA ability, when in fact they're using NON-HRA, just plain anoscopies. It's all unclear to me in this thread, most because a proper biopsy after an HRA should not require anesthesia.

Then there's the anal wart vs. dysplasia issues that I'm not sure patients here understand the difference, much less the doctors. And this is all part of the fact that there aren't proper protocals fully a decade later on the proper treatment of this issue in MSM patients.

There are so many red flags in this thread, and other threads like it, that I don't know even how to comment. Much of which patients haven't even educated themselves on these issues to know if they are seeing the appropriate doctor that deals primarily with MSM patients.